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42.
Dr. Michael Clark
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship between size and value of the existing silver coins.
Mr. Ian Stewart
I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the four cupro-nickel coins currently in circulation. The 10p coin weighs twice the weight of the 5p coin. The weight of the heptagonal 50p coin is three times that of the heptagonal 20p coin. There is no size/value relationship between the round and heptagonal cupro-nickel coins. Exact relationships between size and weight and value are no longer needed because banks and other major cash handlers now use coin counting equipment to count coins instead of weighing them.